Immerse: Beginnings Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 311
17:14–18:10
D e u teronom y
299
“You are about to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you. When
you take it over and settle there, you may think, ‘We should select a king
to rule over us like the other nations around us.’ If this happens, be sure to
select as king the man the Lord your God chooses. You must appoint a
fellow Israelite; he may not be a foreigner.
“The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send
his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You must
never return to Egypt.’ The king must not take many wives for himself,
because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. And he must not
accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself.
“When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body
of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. He must
always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That
way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of
these instructions and decrees. This regular reading will prevent him from
becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also
prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way.
And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.
“Remember that the Levitical priests—that is, the whole of the tribe of
Levi—will receive no allotment of land among the other tribes in Israel.
Instead, the priests and Levites will eat from the special gifts given to the
Lord, for that is their share. They will have no land of their own among the
Israelites. The Lord himself is their special possession, just as he promised them.
“These are the parts the priests may claim as their share from the cattle,
sheep, and goats that the people bring as offerings: the shoulder, the
cheeks, and the stomach. You must also give to the priests the first share
of the grain, the new wine, the olive oil, and the wool at shearing time. For
the Lord your God chose the tribe of Levi out of all your tribes to minister
in the Lord’s name forever.
“Suppose a Levite chooses to move from his town in Israel, wherever
he is living, to the place the Lord chooses for worship. He may minister
there in the name of the Lord his God, just like all his fellow Levites
who are serving the Lord there. He may eat his share of the sacrifices and
offerings, even if he also receives support from his family.
“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. For
example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do
not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret
